DAVID MARCUS: As the nation bickers, small-town America still loves a parade

CUMBERLAND, Md. – Like galore tiny towns successful Appalachia, this spot is simply a wide bluish spec successful a blimpish reddish county. So I was funny to spot if this hamlet could propulsion disconnected an "America 250" parade that would truly bring the full assemblage together.

Amid the buzz, the flags and patriotic T-shirts, I recovered Melinda Kelleher, the Main Street manager who was heavy progressive with the planning. When I started to inquire if that was a situation successful these divisive times, I couldn’t adjacent extremity my condemnation earlier she answered, "Yes."

But the municipality tackled this challenge, Kelleher told me.

"We wanted an lawsuit that could truly bring the assemblage together," she said, adding that determination has been a revitalization of downtown Cumberland. "We person had 30 caller shops open."

Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus (r.), with Al Fieldstein, a Maryland nonmigratory and section historiographer helium met astatine the America 250 solemnisation successful downtown Cumberland, Maryland, connected June 27, 2026. (Fox News Digital/ David Marcus)

Kelleher mentioned Thursday and Saturday nighttime events each done the summertime meant to bring successful not conscionable region locals, but travelers from each implicit America, and the beauteous foothills municipality is surely worthy a trip.

There was existent and deserved pridefulness successful her dependable arsenic we looked retired implicit the throng, which included a antheral successful his 70s named Al Fieldstein, a erstwhile authorities worker and rather competent amateur historian, I discovered.

Al told maine "President Benjamin Harrison walked this parade way to observe the 100th day of Allegheny County successful 1889, and I retrieve the parades present erstwhile I was kid, seeing the World War I veterans," helium said, glancing skyward. "They're each gone now."

Near our feet, young children played, awaiting the parade. I pointed down astatine them and said, "That was you, once."

I asked him what Cumberland’s spot is successful this 250-year past of our country, and helium said, "We had the archetypal nationalist road, the archetypal railroads. We person ever been a crossroads for America."

But authorities was not wholly absent from the festivities. Terry, a retired lifelong nonmigratory and committed liberal, told me, "It's analyzable with that antheral successful the White House."

Terry did say, "I’m gladsome to beryllium here, though, I truly bash emotion this place."

Participants transportation the City of Cumberland's "America 250" parade banner down Baltimore Street during the America 250 parade successful downtown Cumberland, Maryland, connected June 27, 2026. Spectators enactment some sides of the thoroughfare arsenic American and Maryland flags pb the procession. (Fox News Digital/ David Marcus)

On the different broadside of the governmental spectrum, I talked to Jalen Grimm, a pupil astatine Frostburg University, who is affiliated with Turning Point USA and had a booth acceptable up connected the route.

I asked Grimm what connection they were trying to send, and she said, "Just that we emotion America. We person buttons and pouch constitutions for people, and immoderate worldly for Charlie," referring to the precocious TPUSA laminitis Charlie Kirk."

I asked her if it was tricky starting a blimpish radical astatine a assemblage these days.

"I was tense astatine first, but it's been great," she said. "We haven’t had galore issues."

Not agelong aft these chats with the celebrating throng, the distant sounds of drums got person arsenic the announcer marked the commencement of the parade. With bands and Army vehicles and the politician tossing candy from a float, everything felt precisely similar it should, maybe, similar it utilized to.

These kinds of moments and this benignant of tone is inactive prevalent successful America, much truthful than I deliberation astir radical realize. Often, it is the Main Street managers similar Kelleher, acold from the nationalist spotlight, who tin thread this needle and bring radical together.

It is besides these tiny towns similar Cumberland and Frostburg that instill their ain patriotism, due to the fact that adjacent the radical I conscionable determination who aren’t peculiarly arrogant of their state astatine the moment, are furiously arrogant of their tiny portion of it.

Jalen Grimm staffs a TPUSA array during the America 250 parade successful downtown Cumberland, Maryland, connected June 27, 2026. (Fox News Digital/ David Marcus)

It is precise overmuch similar O. Henry's story, "The Cosmopolitan," astir of which consists of a blase antheral of the satellite astatine a bar, telling the writer however silly it is to person nationalist pride. Yet, astatine the end, the dandy ends up successful a fistfight erstwhile idiosyncratic insults his small municipality successful Maine.

The America 250 parade successful Cumberland, and the thousands of versions taking spot from oversea to oversea are a existent crushed for optimism. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has refused to let his commonwealth to enactment successful the America’s State Fair successful Washington, but connected the section level, things look acold little petty.

Do yourself a favor: If you person a tiny municipality throwing a shindig for America’s large birthday, spell cheque it out, spell beryllium a portion of it, hide for a portion the choler and fury of nationalist authorities and conscionable perceive to the band, devour the funnel barroom and emotion America.

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